Hyun Jin Moon Leads Mindinao Peace Initiative

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Mindanao, Philippines – Building on the success of Global Peace Festivals in Manila and the southern Philippine island of Mindanao last year, the Mindanao Peace Initiative was launched today in communities across the island and in the Philippine House of Representatives.

Mindanao Governor Khalid Dimaporo of Lanao Del Norte introduced Global Peace Festival (GPF) President Hyun Jin Moon to a crowd of thousands of youths in Tubod, along with leading R&B artist JR, who together with entertainer Pops Fernandez has joined in support of GPF peace-building initiatives across the island nation.

Governor Dimapora noted that GPF events and cross-cultural initiatives in Mindanao last September represented a transformative turning point in efforts to show that the people of Mindanao ascribe to a lasting culture of peace.

Lanao Del Norte officials and tribal leaders awarded Hyun Jin Moon the honor of “adopted son” in the region, in part for his successful Global Peace Festival in Mindanao that immediately followed the wake of terror attacks after the breakdown of the peace process in August 2008.

“The Global Peace Tour and the Global Peace Festivals are promoting a platform of interfaith cooperation, strengthening the family, and a culture of service for the sake of renewing our communities and nations,” said Moon. “We are looking for nothing less than a moral and spiritual awakening rooted in the universal vision of one family under God. The family is the cornerstone of peace."

Hyun Jin Moon urged Philippine leaders to “build on these efforts and create a grassroots movement that will spread into a global culture of serving others.”

Following a packed rally with young leaders at the Araneta Coliseum, the opening plenary of the Global Peace Tour 2009 was convened in the Philippine House of Representatives with Congressmen Datu Pax Mangudadatu and Jose De Venecia, together with the Deputy Speaker of the House and other Congressional representatives.

An international delegation of GPF leaders then traveled to Mindanao to announce the Mindanao Peace Initiative. Chaired by Dr. Estrella Abid Babano, Director for the Department of Education in Region 10, and co-chaired by Father Benjamin Beltran, Director of the Sandiwaan Foundation in Lanao Del Norte, the Mindanao Peace Initiative also includes representatives of Muslim, Christian, and indigenous communities, the Armed Forces, business, academia, and youth leaders.

Mindanao’s Global Peace Festival followed more than 20 events held in 2008 that attracted more than 1 million people committed to a worldwide vision of peace and interfaith harmony.

About Global Peace Festival

Led by president Hyun Jin Moon, Global Peace Festival (GPF) promotes and celebrates persons and programs that contribute to reconciliation, mutual respect, harmony and cooperation among the members of the whole human family, as “One Family Under God.” In partnership with a variety of faith-based organizations, NGOs, government agencies, educational institutions, and members of the private sector, GPF encourages programs that strengthen God-centered marriages and families, facilitate intercultural and interreligious cooperation, and foster a culture of peace and service. Ongoing programs are implemented throughout the year and culminate in a biennial Global Peace Festival that consists of an international leadership conference, a social impact program, and a public celebration.